Heights of the Depths by Peter David Read Free Book Online

the whole, rather uplifting. There were still things he wished to see and goals he wished to attain. He had no overt desire for death. But if the next few minutes were to result in his being a red and green splotch on the streets of the Spire city, well…it wasn’t as if he hadn’t had more than his share of experiences.
    He also wondered just how far he was willing to follow the Overseer before he gave it up as a pointless exercise.
    The Overseer strode out into the street, his armored feet clanking beneath him. Nicrominus, following, heard a cessation of noise and wondered if the Overseer had simply vanished into thin air. It didn’t seem possible that he could do such a thing, but then again, this was the Overseer they were talking about. Who knew what was and was not within his capabilities?
    But no, he could see him through the large glass doors that led out. The Overseer had stopped dead in the middle of the street and he was just standing there. Nicrominus had been hurrying after him, so much so that he was getting out of breath. Now he slowed and then stopped, standing on the sidewalk and just staring at the armored figure.
    “You should have seen it,” the Overseer said abruptly. It so startled Nicrominus that he actually jumped, and his tail whipped around as if seeking to dispatch a foe that had snuck up on him hoping to catch him unawares. “Back in its hey day, I mean. What I’m doing here…standing out here on Sixth Avenue…you couldn’t do it back then. Far too many cars, packed with people honking their horns, on their way to God knows where. Like so many hamsters sprinting on their wheels, spinning and spinning and thinking they’re getting somewhere when they’re really not. Still…New York was just about the only city in the world that I could tolerate for any period of time.” His voice trailed off and then he turned and looked directly at Nicrominus. “You have no goddamned idea what I’m talking about, do you.”
    Slowly Nicrominus shook his head. “I have…some goddamned idea, Overseer. I assume you are talking about this city at some point in the past. But…” He had no clue what else to say, and so said nothing.
    “What the hell was your name again?”
    “Nicrominus.”
    “Nicrominus. Hunh.” He seemed to be considering it. “Good name. Sounds similar to Nicodemus. You wouldn’t have any idea who that is, would you?”
    “No, Overseer, I would not. Should I?”
    “A Biblical judge. He helped prepare the body of Jesus for burial after the crucifixion. I don’t suppose you know about any of that, either.”
    “I know of that, actually. I have done a good deal of reading into Mort philosophies and history. I know of the Bible. It was a book of mythologies that the Mort appeared to set great store by. This Jesus was one of the central characters. There are a number of pictorial representations of him back in Firedraque hall.”
    A strange noise came from the Overseer’s armored figure and it took Nicrominus a moment to realize that it was actually laughter. It seemed a strange thing to hear the Overseer laughing. Nicrominus wouldn’t have thought such a thing likely or even possible. The Overseer was like unto a god. Why would he be laughing? Then again, it had been the opinion of Nicrominus that the gods had been looking down upon the Banished and laughing at their fates for quite some time. So it made a certain kind of twisted sense that their representative in the world would likewise enjoy some merriment at their expense.
    “Notre Dame cathedral.”
    “I’m…sorry, Overseer?”
    “The place you call Firedraque Hall. Its true name is Notre Dame cathedral. I saw it when I was twenty-two, when I was stationed in Paris.”
    “You mean Perriz?”
    The Overseer had not been looking at him directly, but now he did. He turned and when he spoke his voice was tinged with anger. “Paris, goddammit. You could, at the very least, say it right. It’s pronounced